Walter Sofronoff told a News Corp editor that the ACT's former director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold "wrought evil" and was "eager to lie to jail a man who may be innocent," court documents have revealed.

Mr Sofronoff's accusations were part of an email chain with The Australian newspaper's editorial director, Claire Harvey, in which he also accused ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum and ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury of "defending their dishonest friend", Mr Drumgold.

It formed part of more than 1,700 pages of evidence made public by the ACT Supreme Court this week including text messages and emails between journalists, lawyers, and Mr Sofronoff while he was chair of an ACT inquiry in 2023 that was investigating the high-profile prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann.

The documents show that Ms Harvey had sent Mr Sofronoff "a note of support" after he was embroiled in controversy and threats of legal action for releasing his findings to media outlets, including The Australian and the ABC, before it was made public by the ACT government.

"I — and all my colleagues who care about ethical journalism — hold you in the highest regard," Ms Harvey's email on August 9, 2023 said.

"PS: If you ever want to make a podcast, I'd love to help!"

'This is insanity' 

In his reply, Mr Sofronoff thanked Ms Harvey for an editorial in The Australian that defended his actions and labelled him a "legal braveheart" in the days after the report was leaked.

"It may even have had an immediate practical effect in an instance professionally," he said.

Mr Sofronoff said it was "unforgivable" for government authorities to claim they did not know he had been dealing with journalists through the inquiry.

"To me it is shocking that the chief justice and attorney-general prefer to defend their dishonest friend than address the evil wrought by a prosecutor who was eager to lie to jail a man who may be innocent. This is insanity," he said.

He also accused journalists of "parroting" the government's claims at the time, which accused Mr Sofronoff of a "significant lapse of judgement" in leaking the report to media.

"They have ensured that the public reaction they have generated will deter every future commissioner from engaging with journalists," he wrote.

"The evil effects of the behaviour of politicians and many journalists will persist for some time. Thank you truly for standing by me."

Complaints from journalists

Mr Sofronoff had been corresponding with multiple media outlets throughout the course of the inquiry and the subsequent fallout, including news.com.au, The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, AAP, Region Media and Kangaroo Court of Australia.

The document bundle includes photographs of a barrage of text messages from news.com.au political reporter Samantha Maiden to lawyers working with Mr Sofronoff, in which she questioned how some outlets were publishing material that had not been heard in court.

"This never happened in trial or cross-examination and any check of transcript would tell you this," she said in a text message.

Ms Maiden was among journalists who questioned why the inquiry findings were only released to select journalists.

"I wish to complain in the strongest terms about the decision to release your inquiry findings on a matter of pre-eminent public interest to selected journalists, excluding both the ACT government and other local media outlets," group editor of Region Media Genevieve Jacobs wrote to Mr Sofronoff.

"It's most disappointing that the distribution of these findings was not handled with more respect for the community that's borne so much of the cost in every way."

51 calls and dozens of text messages revealed

The documents made public this week also detail the relationship between Mr Sofronoff and The Australian journalist Janet Albrechtsen, who were found to have exchanged 51 phone calls and dozens of text messages over the course of the inquiry. 

One included a meme from Ms Albrechtsen that compared Mr Sofronoff to The Wolf character in Pulp Fiction.

Other texts included requests by Ms Albrechtsen for court documents, which Mr Sofronoff provided in some cases with a note that they were "strictly confidential".

Ms Albrechtsen and Mr Sofronoff were first introduced by The Australian journalist Hedley Thomas, who texted Mr Sofronoff in February when he was first appointed to chair the inquiry.

"Your upcoming inquiry appears littered with political, legal and journalistic incendiary devices. Should be fascinating and right up your alley," Mr Hedley texted.

"Yes that's true. It will be savage," Mr Sofronoff responded.

Mr Drumgold resigned after Mr Sofronoff found he had engaged in "serious misconduct" during Mr Lehrmann's failed prosecution.

Some findings were set aside after Mr Drumgold successfully argued that Mr Sofronoff's communications with Ms Albrechtsen "gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias".

The court documents were recently made public as exhibits in the online file from Mr Drumgold's legal challenge.

During a defamation case brought by Mr Lehrmann against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson, a civil court found that on the balance of probabilities Mr Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019.

Mr Lehrmann has always denied the allegations and is appealing the court's findings.